Jet Airways employees stage protest in New Delhi, demand part of salaries

Jet Airways employees today held a protest here at Jantar Mantar, demanding the airline firm to release a part of their salaries till completion of the insolvency resolution process. National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) is slated to hear the ongoing insolvency case of the company on August 10. 

Jet has over one billion dollars in debt and has to repay money to banks, lessors of planes and suppliers, besides clearing pending salaries of pilots and other staff. The airline has been suffering bruising competition from low-cost airlines, fluctuating crude prices and a weak rupee. 

Rohit Chaudhary, Captain in Jet Airways started a Save Jet Airways campaign along with other flight captains, is supported by Society for Welfare of Indian Pilots (SWIP) president KS Cheema, Jet Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Welfare Association (JAMEVA) president Ashish Mohanty, among others.

Last month, lenders of bankrupt Jet Airways had agreed to extend some interim financing to help it cover legal and other costs as resolution experts look to find a potential buyer, according to a Reuters report. Notably, bankruptcy resolution firm Grant Thornton, in a regulatory filing, had stated that Jet's lenders had also approved the eligibility criteria for potential buyers.

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The government had also promised to facilitate employment to job-less airline staff. The Civil Aviation minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, had also stated that the ministry was in touch with other private airlines, including SpiceJet and IndiGo, to assist Jet staff get meaningful employment. He added that a website would also be launched listing staff of Jet Airways to help them find employment in other private entities.